Editorial: Climate showdown looms

San Francisco Chronicle

December 27, 2016Updated: December 28, 2016 10:28am

Photo: Kathy Willens, Associated Press

The mix of rules, incentives and
goals could be shattered with the inauguration of Donald Trump and his
energy and environmental appointees who doubt the science documenting
the human-caused dangers of rising temperatures.

The mix of rules, incentives and goals could be shattered with...

California has half the nation’s electric cars, cleaner burning fuels and a string of emerging plans to cut emissions and save energy to fight climate change.

This state has done much to set standards that are sinking into common acceptance. Millions of tailpipes produce less smog and heat-trapping carbon dioxide. A cap-and-trade program to reward businesses that lower greenhouse gases is on a shakedown cruise. A recent decision will lower the energy diet of computers. Coming next: a deadline in 2040 to drop carbon emissions to 1990 levels, a cut that will further remake the economy.

More importantly, California isn’t going it alone. Other states are matching these policies that are transforming energy sources and everyday habits. Over half the states, including those with Republican governors, have adopted rules that curb car and factory emissions. What was once viewed as partisan or economically risky is now standard.

But none of this is guaranteed. The mix of rules, incentives and goals could be shattered with the inauguration of Donald Trump and his energy and environmental appointees who doubt the science documenting the human-caused dangers of rising temperatures. The president-elect has dubbed climate change a “hoax,” and his appointees have records of fighting solutions in court and on the stump.

Deeply rooted as California policies have become, the Trump team can cause serious damage. The next president has pledged to drop out of the Paris climate accords and back off federal rules to curb coal-fired power plants. In this state and others, Washington can hold back on enforcing pollution laws or cut money for climate-change research. A national trend could be chopped to pieces.

The next administration could also ease up and allow change-minded states to take their own California-style path. This state’s leaders are right to sound off about Trump’s wayward direction, with Democratic leaders bristling for a fight with the new administration.

Their best argument is the one most easily seen. California has thrived as it lowered emission limits. There are costs and risks that must be weighed, but answering the threat of climate change hasn’t wrecked the economy.

It’s a track record that the Trump team of fossil fuel apologists should heed. Punishing California would antagonize the rest of the country where solar and wind sources are growing and fuel-sipping cars are filling garages. That’s progress that should continue.